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Republicans are whistling "Dixie" by Stephen Foster but Democrats are singing "Carolina on My Mind" by James Taylor.

The president's approval rating in North Carolina is about where it is nationally. This suggests that the Tar Heel State is in the national mainstream and not part of the South anymore. Demographic changes have moved North Carolina and neighboring Virginia into states where Democrats have a real chance to win. In North Carolina and Virginia, the fast-growing areas, the Research Triangle and northern Virginia lean Democratic.

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